Imitation article.



C. JAEGER, M. J. ROTH & C. H. BOEKER.

IMITAHON ARTICLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 191B.

Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

INVENTORS y C. H. EOE/ff ATTORNEYS WITNESSES WTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN JAEGER, MAX 3. ROTH, AND CARL H. BOEKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMI'IATION ARTICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 21, 1918. Serial No. 223,743.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHRISTIAN J AEGER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, but having declared my intention to become a citizen of the United States, Max J. Born, a citizen of the United States, and CARI. H. Bonxnn, a citizen of the United States, all residents of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and Improved Imitation Articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention consists in an improvement upon or development of the sub ect of Letters'Patent of the.United States, No. 1,212,066, issued to the Plastic Art Novelty and Specialty Co., on the 9th day of January, 1917, on application of Christian Jaeger and has particular reference to improve imitation or display cigars or the like and the rocess of making the same.

ore definitely stated the object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the loss or expense due to the deterioratlon of cigars incident to their being placed in show windows or the like for display purposes may be readily avoided at a relatively slight cost. In the practice of this invention the form, size, color, manner of assembling or bunching, labeling and any other characteristics of an make or brand of cigars or the like are aithfully reproduced so that the imitation devices in any desired number or arran ement may be employed at small cost for isplay purposes with a corresponding economy of real cigars.

Cigars when placed upon exhibition and subjected to the light and heat of the sun or otherwise not only soon deteriorate in value, but lose their natural or desired color. Hence in the practice of our invention we produce a cheap imitation that is not only a faithful reproduction of the original, but one thatis possessed of all desired features or characteristics of absolute permanency so that the same display devices may be used indefinitely or as long as that particular brand of cigars is on sale.

In the accompany drawings Figure 1 is a perspective diagrammatic representation of a box which for display purposes re resents a full box of cigars of any stand iird brand.

Fig. 2 is a nether plan View of the layer of cigars indicated in the container in Fig. ca 1'; and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional detail taken on the plane corresponding to the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, but showing in addition to Fig. 2 the manner of attaching the'labels.

While a box of cigars is shown and usually referred to in this specification it is to be understood that the cigars may be reproduced singly, in bundles, or any other form of assemblage as well as in layers for boxes.

The first step in the process is to treat the layer of cigars to allow for shrinkage of the plastic material subsequently employed in the later stages of the process. The shrinkage amounts ordinarily to approximately one fortieth of any dimension and so with respect to the length of the row or layer of cigars we introduce a film or thin padding between adjacent cigars to increase the total length according to such amount of shrinkage. The shrinkage as to length of each cigar is of less importance but may be taken care of by adding a bit of plaster or other material to one end of each cigar at any desired stage in the process. The shrinkage as to diameter or depth of the layer is, of course, negligible inasmuch as the imitation cigars are never handled by the purchasing public and hence there is no occasion for the removal of the imitations from the container after they are once put on display.

The next step in the process is to make a direct cast of plaster, or its equivalent, of the layer or other assemblage of cigars to be reproduced, prepared as above indicated to take care of shrinkage. This cast obviously is a negative. From the nega tive cast a positive mold is made which is then finished artistically by the means of sculptors tools or the like indicating all details of top surface, contour and characteristics of the particular brand or style of cigars started with. This mold is indicated in the drawings as a whole at 10. The nether or under surface of the mold is formed with concave grooves or fiutings 11, one for each cigar, and in a general way approximately so constructed as to have the surface thereof Parallel to the convex or rounded face or upper surface of the same cigar but leaving the narrow or thin ridges 12 between ad acent flutings of sufficient strength, however, to insure theperinanency of the entire device. The groove or fiuting at 11 reduces the weight of thefinished article, thus conserving the material employed,

and also counteracts the tendency to warp channeling at 13 materially reduces the thickness of the body or mass of plastic material so that slits 1-; may be formed directly therethrough from the top surface by means of a knife or other similar instrument prior to the -final drying of the finished product.

At any desired place we may form a fiat surface or tablet 15 to bear a trade mark, number, trade name or other device but which has no particular significance otherwise.

in the cutting or sculpturing of the positive mold we provide ridges 16 to represent the edges of the spirally wound wrappers. it will be noted that thus far the process does not involve the element color, but rather is confined to size, shape, contour and general arrangement of the units to be reproduced.

From the completed positive mold made just described and constituting a substantial counterpart of the upper or face surface of the layer of cigars submitted in every respect except that it is slightly larger, we make a negative die casters mold of plaster, or its equivalent, from which dies of cast brass or the like are made by any of the usual methods. These metal dies are then V holding, casting, or stamping out any desired number of units fr '5: the plastic employed. After each cast is removed from the metal dies it is subjected to a drying and hardening process, the slits 1% being formed therein as already indicated. A. ground color is applied; the surface character color is added so as to represent e2:- actly the original subject, and the labels are applied in a uniform manner, the ends of labels 1? being slipped inward or downward through the slits 1% as shown at *5 and pasted or otherwise lined. The devices are then ready for application to the containers provided therefor. ln the usual practice for display purposes the container is padded so that a single layer of the imitation cigars is sufficient.

Without limiting ourselves unnecessarily to any particular material or composition of matter for the practice of this invention we suggest as a suitable composition for the manufacture of imitation cigars the following and in substantially the proportions indicated: ground glue, forty pounds dissolved in water in a double boiler to the consistency of a thick jelly; ten pounds of ordinary brown rosin and three pounds of ceresin was melted together in a single boiler and stirred into the glue; thirty pounds of talcum or powdered chalk, and twenty pounds of wood flour, paper pulp, refuse grain flour or any other binding or filling material that may e readily mixed with glue or the like. The last two components are thoroughly mixed dry and then added to the glue mixture while kneading same into a stifi dough.

The mass is then rolled out into layers of suitable thickness ready for application to the dies and press.

lV e claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, the herein described layer of imitation cigars of a unitary mass, adjacent cigars being permanently united each to each, a slit being formed between each two adjacent cigars, and a series of labels applied to the several cigars and having their ends projected inward through said slits and permanently fastened thereb 2. As an article of manufacture, the herein described layer imitating a series of simi lar commercial articles arranged in a series alongside of one another, adjacent articles being permanently united, the upper surface of the layer being a faithful reproduction of the articles to be imitated, the under surface of each imitation article being provided with a groove the surface of which is approximately parallel to the upper surface of the same article, and marking devices applied to the several units.

.GHRIST All d'l ilfihlldf.

hill-Hi. J. ROTH. GARL H. BOELER.

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